Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “Mentoring”

Spiritual, godly wisdom springs from the knowledge of God, His character, and His Word. This spiritual knowledge leads to spiritual understanding of how God works—the ways of God. And spiritual understanding translates into spiritual wisdom, the final application of our knowledge of God and His ways into our daily decisions. It is this spiritual wisdom that God gives to Kingdom leaders to help us accomplish His purposes in us and through our leadership. It arises from spending time with Jesus and His Word, being taught by His Spirit, and learning from others who have done the same.

The catalyst for turning spiritual knowledge and understanding into spiritual wisdom is the Holy Spirit Himself, who lives within those who know Christ. He guides us to truth, helps us discern root issues, provides creative solutions to problems, and seeks to glorify Christ in and through us. He will bring the help that Kingdom leaders need. In Luke 2:46-47, the Jewish religious leaders were amazed at Jesus’ answers, given His age of twelve. It was no doubt a similar observation made about Peter and John when they were brought before the Jewish leaders, who “recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Godly wisdom allows Kingdom leaders to accomplish God-given tasks in such a way that people thrive and God is glorified. They don’t seek credit for any success because they acknowledge that success comes from Him. They thus share the spotlight with those who serve with them. Such leaders are attractive; people move toward them not because of their charisma but rather because they sense that God is with them. They willingly submit to that leader’s influence.

Becoming a wise leader can help in your recruiting of talented people to your mission. Many have an internal, Spirit-discerned ‘radar’ that can detect wisdom in others, especially other leaders. And we move towards wise leaders, wanting to join up with them and the vision that they project. This same ‘radar’ can also detect foolishness and warns us to stay away from those who do not project God’s wisdom.

So, are you continuing in your pursuit of God’s wisdom for your life and leadership?

Godly wisdom is applying knowledge and understanding to life situations
by considering what is pleasing to God. Our goals are measured
against the ultimate goal: a life that ends with Jesus telling us
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We never “arrive” when it comes to wisdom. We can always grow
in wisdom, for we encounter it in God Himself, who is infinite, and
therefore the wisdom He offers us is inexhaustible.

Kingdom wisdom doesn’t just happen; it must be pursued. We
can ask God for it (see James 1:5) and it will be given to us, because
He has promised to do so. Therefore, even young people with limited
personal experience can be considered wise if God has given
them wisdom from above. This is what happened with Solomon. He
acknowledged that he was young and inexperienced (1 Kings 3:7)
yet boldly asked God for “an understanding mind to govern [God’s]
people” so he could “discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9).

We can and should, regardless of our age and experience, learn
godly wisdom from others. Wise spiritual mentors are invaluable to
our development. They help us continue growing throughout our
life. As we age, our mentoring needs change, moving from a whole-life
perspective to a more focused, targeted mentoring later in life.
Asking others for help in your growth and development is wise. If
you are beginning your spiritual journey, look for someone to disciple
you, helping you to become a follower of Christ. If you are
well established in your walk with Jesus, then look for someone who
demonstrates spiritual wisdom in an area that you can learn from,
someone who is strong and wise in a specific aspect of life that you
feel you lack.

Proverbs 3:13-15 reminds us, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

One of your primary functions as a leader is to develop those leaders around you, helping them grow in their capacity to contribute to the mission. The ability to influence and help them grow is built upon the foundation of trust in the relationship that you have with them. But, what do you do when you do not have that kind of history with them–when there is no real relationship established?

In a recent conversation with Paul Stanley, former International VP of The Navigators, we discussed how to address this challenge. Below are some of our practical ideas on how to build this kind of relationship, especially one that is geographically distant from you, so that you can help them grow and develop.

The first step is to begin to create trust

Remember, the depth of your relationship will determine the impact of your influence

You as their leader and mentor, want to be viewed as a ‘value-added’ asset to their life and leadership

Mutual vulnerability will create a growing bond of trust, with you, their supervisor, initiating the self-disclosure and openness

Mutual confidentiality must be assured, for any ‘leakage’ will quickly destroy any trust that has been built

Seek to create a sense where they know that you are in it with them – we are in it together to help them succeed

Join their team in spirit, becoming their fan and champion

Help them see a bigger vision for their life and future contribution beyond their current role

Help them believe that their future destiny is more than what they can currently ‘see’

Early on in the relationship, they must feel practically helped in their current responsibility

Identify 2 or 3 leverage points for them to focus on in the next 1-2 years that will truly help them make progress and bring change to their mission

Help them clarify their responsibilities before God and the organization that they are to steward

Help them shape the stewardship of these responsibilities, seeking to prioritize them into what is most strategic at this time

Help them identify 3-4 key responsibilities to focus on for the next 1-2 years

Pray for them and with them over these 3-4 key responsibilities

Talk with them regularly about progress in these 3-4 items

Help them grow in confidence as a leader

Affirm, encourage, advocate for, and champion them

Help them identify certain leadership principles that they are already doing that models good leadership

Ken Blanchard reminds us to, “Find somebody doing something right and tell them about it.”

Help them grow in self-awareness as a leader

What are their personal strengths and weaknesses as a leader

Help them learn how to lead from their strengths and staff to their weaknesses

As you supervise and mentor them, adopt the attitude of asking, not telling!